The present invention relates to safety measures for kayaks and other buoyant craft; and more particularly deals with problems relating to capsizing.
In this specification we use the term kayak to include not only kayaks derived from the traditional kind which originated in the Arctic circle, but also Canadian racing canoes which are in the kayak style by having a closed-in deck. These contrast with the traditional American Indian canoe which is fully open and has little or no decking, and does not present any great problem when capsized. The invention is however also applicable to other buoyant craft such as sailing dinghies which entrap or enclose a quantity of air when in the inverted or capsized condition, and where the user can be trapped in rigging when there is a capsize.
Now the problem with the kayak style craft is that if it capsizes the paddler may have difficulty getting out while it remains inverted. The problem becomes particularly acute when the paddler uses a spray cover attached to his person to fully seal the interior of the kayak against ingress of water and spray.
For this reason he has to be proficient at righting the kayak with his paddle, and self-righting is an essential part of the training for novices.
Now real danger will exist if the kayak becomes trapped in an inverted position since the paddler has to either release and right the kayak or he has to release the spray cover and get out of the kayak, all within a matter of minutes. This may happen for example if the paddler is experiencing fierce conditions in say a swollen river and the kayak is capsized and then trapped by rocks or tree roots in an inverted position.
The paddler has to free the kayak, or get out of the kayak, in the few minutes of time available. The sense of emergency and general panic may make taking either of these actions more difficult, giving rise to a risk of drowning.
In the case of sailing dinghies a similar problem can arise if a person becomes trapped in the rigging when the craft capsizes.
The present invention aims to mitigate these problems by making more time available within which to take the necessary actions. This in turn should increase user confidence and reduce the panic factor associated with a kayak or other capsize, both for the experienced person in extreme conditions and for the novice where confidence is important.
The invention is additionally ideally suited for those kayaking enthusiasts participating in:
1 Kayaking expeditions on large riversxe2x80x94some with very difficult grades of fast flowing water.
2 Kayak rodeosxe2x80x94competitions often held on weirs where the paddler puts the kayak through many difficult somersault type manoeuvres using where possible the forces available in the moving water.
3 Play boatingxe2x80x94where paddlers have fun in stoppers and wave patterns on fast flowing sections of rivers.
4 Surfersxe2x80x94kayaking on sea wave formations.
5 Sea kayaking where traversing large sections of open water are sometimes a necessity and where evacuation and re-entry would be particularly hazardous.
Now it is known from DE 3 931 968 to provide a breather tube in a kayak so that when the kayak is inverted it will be possible to breathe from air contained within the kayak hull. However, this suffers from the problem that the lower end of the tube is at the highest point in the kayak, so that when inverted the tube is then at the lowest point and is likely to communicate with water. This problem is accentuated by the fact that the system uses a simple piece of tubing with no valving of any kind, and therefore even if the inlet position were to be changed, stray water would still be likely to enter the tube prior to the user putting the end in his mouth, and so the user would have to expel that water before they could commence to breathe through the tube. Bearing in mind the possible panic situation of a paddler in these conditions, such a proposal would be unsafe, particularly for use by novices.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,606,967 and 5,535,734 each disclose surface breathing devices for use in diving or quasi snorkelling operations, but each uses a long length of tubing and either would not work or would be unduly complex.
The present invention aims to overcome these problems and accordingly provides an emergency breathing device for breathing under water comprising a single flexible tube having an inlet adjacent one end of said tube which is arranged to be maintained above water level and open to ingress of air and adjacent the other end of said tube in close proximity a mouthpiece and a valve means operable by a user to inhibit flow of water into the breathing means in a closed condition and to permit breathing when in an open condition. Preferably the tube should have an internal volume which is less than normal lung capacity.
Such a device may be provided in a buoyant vessel such as a kayak or dinghy, and have its open end attached within the vessel so as to communicate with air which is above waterlevel within the vessel when inverted.
Alternatively the open end may have a form of float to maintain it above waterlevel in any convenient manner such as is described in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,606,967 and 5,535,734. This enables an assisting swimmer to aid a trapped kayaker.
Apparatus in accordance with the invention may comprise a life jacket or buoyancy aid and a tube attached thereto having one end including said valve means and located within reach of the user for breathing into, and the other end being capable of being retained within the interior of the hull at a level above the waterline of the vessel when inverted.
In another form of the invention a craft having a buoyant hull which entraps air when inverted is equipped with breathing means in the form of a tube having one end communicating with the interior of the craft hull and the other end being located in a position where it can be reached by the user for breathing into and including valve means operable by a user to inhibit flow of water into the breathing means in a closed condition and to permit breathing when in an open condition and having an inlet which is above the waterline of the vessel when inverted.
Thus, the tubing may be provided as part of the craft itself or as part of the life jacket or buoyancy aid to be used when in such a craft, or it may be an independent surface breathing aid.
Generally the length of tubing used should include a volume which is less than a person""s lung capacity. This ensures that fresh air will always be breathed in a simple way. The valve means is also important in an emergency situation since it ensures that the user can breathe air immediately without having to expel air first. The invention is different from the conventional snorkel since the tubing is flexible and enables a swimmer greater flexibility, as well as having a convenient valving system to allow air to be breathed immediately.
In practice when used in a craft, there may be some water at the bottom of the craft while it is upright, and also when inverted there may be some water at the then lowermost point. Therefore the interior end of the tube should preferably be attached at a mid-point within the hull, so that both in the upright and the inverted positions the end of the tubing is free of water. This ensures maximum usage of the entrapped air.